He Used to Be Called a Blockhead
A Peanuts Fanfiction
Written by LivingOnLaughs
For Orange-Ratchet
A/N: This is part of a story trade with ships Charlie Brown x Marcie, Linus x Lilo (Lilo and Stitch), Lucy x Schroeder and Sally x Rerun
It was one of those mornings in which he spent every minute walking through memory lane. Charlie Brown sighed as he fidgeted in his pocket. Good, his surprise was there, just as he had hoped. The former failure face was now in his late 20s and had just walked past his late dog-Snoopy's-doghouse, the ball field being torn down and turned into a playground and stood at the brick wall.
"Today's the day!" he told himself, making sure he looked ready. Hair combed? Check. Breath mints? Check. Positive attitude? Check. He was all set for the big day. "I haven't gotten this anxious in years; I just hope it's worth it." He smiled, turning a vivid pink as he saw his girl walking by.
She had lovely red hair that curled at her shoulders, cherry lipstick and turquoise eyes. "See you later, Marcie…break a leg." She smiled, walking to the bus stop as his eyes fixated on what was left behind: a woman with black hair in a ponytail, a skirt, a headband and a red t-shirt. She also sported a red purse. It was her. His cream of the crop; his milk to his cookies; his peanut butter to his jelly; his Marceline Carlin to his Charles Brown.
"Hi Charles…you said you wanted to talk with me." She smiled, her blush was a visible pink and she looked almost like she did as a kid. Almost. One distinct feature was missing: her glasses.
"Uh, hi Sweet Babboo…" he blushed. "Where are your glasses?"
"My glasses? I'm wearing contacts today, Charles…" Marcie answered.
"Really? Contacts bring out the opal blue in your eyes."
"Yeah, I remember back when we were kids and I thought contact lenses made people taller…then again, I was a naïve dork that no one wanted to date…I stand corrected…ALMOST no one wanted to date me"
"Marcie, you're not a dork…we've talked about this…you're just an innocent young lady that's probably doing something useful with her life…" he answered, placing his hands on her cheeks. "Unlike me that is…"
"Don't tell me you STILL live with your parents." She giggled.
"No, I live alone-well NOT alone, I've got a dog and a few goldfish" Charlie answered back. "I just…can't understand my job" he sighed.
"Charles…what DO you want to be?" the black haired woman questioned.
"A cartoonist, a husband, a father and an uncle." he replied.
"Whatta ya mean, you're single?" Sally Brown asked. She was seventeen and dressed in a glittery, baby blue ball gown.
"It's what I said, Sally…want to dance?" sixteen-year-old Lucas replied. His brown hair was styled neatly and he wore one of Linus' hand-me-down red shirts along with a blue vest.
"Well, you only go to a prom so many times in your life…" she answered, grabbing his hand as they danced melodically. "You dance well, Rerun."
"Sally, don't call me that in public…it's embarrassing" he blushed as they watched their brothers crying like babies.
"Lucas Van Pelt, you're such a grown man!" Linus praised.
"Same with you, Sally Brown!" Charlie Brown cheered, wiping away his tears happily. "Except you're a grown woman!"
"Big Brother, you're embarrassing me." Sally blushed.
"It's fine, Cutie Bunny" Rerun answered, kissing Sally on her strawberry flavored lipstick.
"Charlie Brown! I can't believe it! Sally is fond of my own brother now!" the eighteen-year-old man that carried a blanket shrieked.
"Well since you dated that Hawaiian girl, she fell for Rerun-I mean Lucas." Charlie chuckled.
"Yeah…Lilo's a nice lady, Charlie Brown…and she sure loves creatures and photography."
"Is Stitch still around?"
"Yeah, apparently aliens like Stitch can live longer than humans and dogs"
"Oh…"
"Relax, Charlie Brown…one day you'll find your girl"
"I did, Linus! I just can't talk to her without screwing it up…"
He sighed, remembering the night Sally asked Lucas 'Rerun' to dance. "Say, Marcie…do you still dance?" he questioned after a long silence.
"Yeah, I was never like Ginger though; but please do lead the way, Fred Astaire" Marcie replied.
"Yeah, I wanted to know because…remember Senior Prom?"
"How can I forget the night you broke your leg and I was home sick with a stomach bug?"
"Yeah…well…" he began, hearing music from a house nearby. "They're playing our song, Marcie."
"They are? How romantic…" she sighed happily, his arm wrapping around her waist. "Charles, that tickles."
"Sorry…anyways, you said 'Lead the way', follow my lead" he reminded as he slowly moved his feet to the music. She almost instantly followed his movements.
Inside the house, Schroeder was happily playing a waltz on the grand piano for his wife, Lucy and their daughter from her previous relationship, two-year-old Ellen. "Hey Schroeder, don't look outside but high school's 'Least Liked Student' and the 'Most Studious Student' are dancing outside like children." Lucy announced.
"They are? Well they BOTH missed Senior Prom, Lucy…this is probably their way to make up missing out on the opportunity of a high school student's lifetime." he suggested as Ellen giggled happily.
"Charles, you're quite the dancer…" the black haired woman in the failure face's grasp smiled.
"Yeah, I know" he blushed.
"Kiss, you blockheads!" Lucy shouted from the window, alarming both of them as they stopped dancing.
"Lucy? Good grief…were we bothering you two?" Charlie Brown asked.
"No, but if you want to dance like buffoons, go do it elsewhere!" she bossed.
"You had no problem against it years ago." Marcie reminded.
"YEARS AGO, Carlin! Get it through your head!" Lucy replied.
"Now I see why Lucy got a divorce…" Charlie sighed to himself.
"I hate it when she calls me 'Carlin', Charles…it's as if she knows I hate it yet she does it to…" she rambled on before stopping dead in her tracks.
"Stop calling me 'Sir'!" Peppermint Patty yelled angrily.
"Yes, Sir…" Marcie replied.
"Do you have any idea how annoying that is? Hearing 'Sir' 'Sir' 'Sir' all day long…it's annoying! A-N-O-Y-I-N-G!'
"You missed an N, Sir."
"Don't be a smarty pants, Marcie!"
"I was only teasing you!" she cried out, but it was too late: Patricia 'Peppermint Patty' Reichardt walked dead out of her life. "I always thought it was funny" Marcie sighed as the rain clouds covered up the sun, soaking her in the process.
"Marcie?" Charlie Brown asked, shaking her a little.
"Sorry…I…when I called Peppermint Patty 'Sir', how annoyed did she get?" Marcie blushed.
"Really annoyed, Marcie."
"Oh…I guess I asked because of…"
"You miss Peppermint Patty, right?"
"All the time, Charles…how is she?"
"Last I heard of her, two years ago, she was in rehab to help with her drinking problem."
"Oh yeah…she always had a fondness of root beer as a kid…how didn't we notice the problem?"
"Well her problem kicked in when her dad was…killed a few years ago and…she never got over it..."
"I remember you telling me about that…I hope she's more successful now…I also hope she can forgive me."
"I know…you were fifteen when you two cut all ties…sometimes I lied awake at night wondering if you two would kiss and make up, but you never did."
"Yeah…even if I died tomorrow, she wouldn't care…"
"Marcie, don't say that! EVER! Patty DOES care about you!"
"If she did…she would've said 'hi, Marcie…how are you?' in person…right?"
Charlie Brown thought about that for a good, long couple of minutes. "Maybe you're right, Marcie…but then again, she's been through a lot too."
"Yeah, Charles." Marcie sighed.
"Hey, don't get all sad…I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me to the movies and then, maybe to dinner." He answered back.
"Is this A DATE?" Marcie realized in disbelief.
"You can call it that…it's more than a date though…I kinda wanted to…have a lot of fun with you." Charlie Brown smiled.
"But Charles, we've had a lot of fun together since we first met at summer camp…what makes you think we'll have less fun this time?" she giggled to herself. "Only Charlie Brown…" Charlie sighed as he felt in his pocket again. Good, it was still there.
"Well…when I saw what movies were playing, I KNEW we had to watch this one." He chuckled once they reached the movie theater.
"Hmm…the live action Dumbo…okay, although it probably won't be as good as the original…" she replied happily, holding his hand happily. In the crowd were a man with short brown hair and a woman in a floral dress and black hair. A blue alien like creature stood in line next to them.
"Linus! Lilo!" Charlie Brown smiled, recognizing the trio happily. "And Stitch too!"
"Couldn't leave him alone, could you?" Marcie smirked.
"Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind." Stitch explained.
"Of course" the blonde man and his girlfriend chuckled as the blue alien reached into the former's jean pocket.
"No, Stitch!" Charlie scolded before Marcie could see what the former failure face was hiding.
"Sorry." Stitch sighed guiltily.
"Just don't do that again. We don't do that to others!" he reprimanded.
"Okay." He smiled.
"So Charlie Brown, can you believe that out of all the people we could find in this theater, we find you and Marcie?" Lilo Pelekai asked.
"Yeah, amazing…isn't it?" Charlie Brown blushed.
"It is!" Stitch agreed.
"Yeah…can you believe I'm dating Lilo though?" Linus asked.
"She's a perfect soulmate for you, Linus Van Pelt." His best friend agreed.
"So, are you gonna…ask Marcie if-"
"Tonight."
"What're you talking about, Charles?" Marcie noticed.
"Nothing, Sweet Babboo." He smiled, kissing her nice and delicately on the lips, then tenderly pulling them away after 'an eternity of kissing an angel'. "Did you die and go to heaven?" he asked.
"Because you just kissed an angel. Right?" She answered.
"Right on the nose." He blushed.
"So, are we getting a tub of popcorn again?"
"Yeah, and candies."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I remember your favorite candy too…don't worry about sharing it though, I'll just take the Peanut M&Ms."
"So, we're settled on the Coconut Brittle AND the Peanut M&Ms?"
"Yeah."
"You LIKE coconut, Marcie?" Linus grimaced.
"Coconuts!" experiment 626 smiled.
"Who DOESN'T like coconut?" Marcie questioned as both Charlie Brown and Linus raised their hands.
"I LOVE coconut too; but I HATE broccoli though." Lilo admitted.
"Well when you're from Hawaii, I guess you get used to eating coconut." Linus giggled.
"Yeah."
"Well, Lilo, the coconut brittle here is amazing." The black haired woman suggested.
"I'll take that into consideration…you guys are like my Ohana, my family." Lilo noticed.
"We're all a family here, Lilo." Charlie Brown smiled as he was handed the popcorn and candies.
"See you around, Charlie Brown…good luck." Linus called out.
"They're a cute couple, Charles." Marcie examined.
"Yeah…they sure are." Charlie Brown smiled back, kissing her on the cheek. "And you're my cute date too."
"Gosh, Charles…that's so nice." She blushed, holding his free hand as they walked towards their seats.
A boring few hours later, Charlie Brown sighed. "I guess the original Dumbo WAS better…so, how about we go out for dinner later?" he suggested.
"Sure thing, Charles. That would be very nice." Marcie smiled back.
"Yeah…" he blushed, checking his pocket again for…where was it? "Uh, I'll be a few minutes…I lost something of mine…"
"Okay Charles, suit yourself." She responded with a smile.
He looked EVERYWHERE for his tiny box: under every seat, in the cup holders, in the cushions, his back pockets…he couldn't find it ANYWHERE. "And I thought my days of being a failure were over…" he sighed as a hand patted him on the back.
"Hey, I don't think you're a failure." Her voice reassured as he looked up to see her green eyes and freckled cheeks.
"P-Peppermint Patty?" he asked in sadness and shock.
"The one and only…back from rehab and in a relationship with a boy. So how've ya been, Chuck?" she responded.
"Uh…Patty, don't say anything but…I lost my engagement ring…" he hushed.
"You still have the hots for Marcie, don't ya?" the freckled woman noticed.
"Well, I don't call them 'hots', just 'feelings'…and tonight was supposed to be special; but instead, I lost the ring."
"Chuck…if I learnt anything, a ring doesn't mean two people aren't married, at least not in my book, Chuck."
"Thanks, now come on…there's someone who wants to say hi." Charlie smiled slightly. He'll find the ring later, or maybe even never. At least he's still got Marcie.
"Patty…I…I missed you…" Marcie noticed upon seeing the taller woman.
"Marcie, I…missed you too, Little Friend…" Patty sighed, holding back tears. "And don't call me 'Patty'!"
"I won't…Sir."
"That's better." Patty sighed. "I actually missed that, Marcie…it makes you unique."
"I'm sorry I didn't stop, Sir…calling you 'Sir' was like taking cigarettes; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't quit." Marcie responded.
"So…how about we have dinner at my place? TV dinner, Netflix and old records?" Charlie Brown suggested.
"It sounds…Charlie Browny…just the way I like it." She answered.
"Yeah…but that's expected…"
"I know…in fact…I have a surprise for you."
"No way! I had a surprise for you too, Marcie!"
"Had?"
"I…lost it." He admitted.
"Charles, it's fine if you lost it…you've already stolen my heart and THAT was a surprise." She replied.
Upon reaching Charlie Brown's house, he microwaved up two of those cheap macaroni and cheese TV dinners and put on Netflix. "Any good shows on?" he asked.
"No, Charles." She answered, looking over at a pillow on his couch. It was faded with a few stains here and there along with a few patches. She somehow managed to remember something like it from childhood though. Of course, back then, she would drown in the pillow. Now it fit in her lap.
"I see you found the Ol' Patched Pillow." Charlie giggled, looking over at his girlfriend happily.
"Yeah…I remember you used to have a pillow on your old couch…it kinda looked like this one but without all the spots and the patches and the dull color though." Marcie admitted.
"Well…that IS the pillow from a long time ago, Marcie." He replied as he placed the TV dinners on the coffee table. She found it hard to believe that the pillow in her lap was the one he used to find her dead to the world on back in childhood.
"You're pulling my leg, Charles." She giggled to him.
"Nope…I kept it for our date nights…especially the times when you and I would fall asleep together watching repeats of Frasier and Doctor Who on Netflix."
"That reminds me, Charles…why do you cling onto memories anyways?"
"Because one moment I'm a boy with a baseball head and a pet beagle falling for a football gag; then I'm a twenty-six-year-old man living alone and dating a girl like you…" he sighed happily. "Marcie, what are your feelings on marriage?"
"Charles?" she realized, opening up her purse.
"What is it?" the blonde man asked.
"I…I think this is yours…" Marcie admitted, handing him a tiny box. "And I understand if it's a pair of earrings. Honestly."
"Well…where'd you find it?" he realized.
"It fell on the floor during the movie…I didn't open it though." She replied.
"Well then…wanna see what's inside?" Charlie Brown asked with a wink to the audience.
"Sure, Charles! I LOVE surprises!" Marcie admitted.
"I know you do, Sweet Babboo." He giggled.
"Charles, what're you doing?" she asked early one morning, opening the window groggily. It was quarter to five and she was awoken to the sound of rocks being thrown on her window.
"Psst, Marcie, come on…I've gotta show you something." He replied, dressed in his yellow t-shirt, jeans and loafers. He wasn't usually a morning person though.
"What now, Charles?" she yawned, pulling on a red t-shirt over her tank top.
"Just get outside quickly!" he responded.
"Okay, coming…" the bespectacled girl grumbled, heading downstairs and outside to greet Charles. "What is it?" she asked.
"Look!" he pointed up at the night sky. The aurora of lights reflected on her opaque lens as she tilted her chin up a little.
"The Northern Lights…you didn't let me miss them!" she squealed, hugging him tightly as he squeaked a little.
"Of course, I had to sneak you out of the house somehow…hope I didn't surprise you too much." He chuckled.
"Charles, you didn't surprise me too much, I actually like surprises like these…the friendly ones that usually don't happen much." She replied, about to kiss him on the cheek when the front door opened, followed by an angry Mrs. Carlin glaring at the two kids.
"Busted…" Charlie Brown realized, running off. "Bye, Marcie!" he called out before crashing into a tree.
"Bye, Charles…" Marcie sighed. "It's not what you think, mom!" she added bitterly before storming back to her room and looking out the window at what remained of the Northern Lights; yellow, red and orange auroras.
"And this surprise WON'T end like last time either…I hope…" Charlie Brown giggled.
"Let's hope not either." Marcie added.
"Good…" he smiled, getting down on one knee and slightly opening the box.
"Charles…is this…" she began in awe as he tilted the box all the way.
"Marceline Rebecca Carlin, will you marry me and become Mrs. Charlie Brown?" he asked.
"One moment, Charles." She excused herself a minute to pinch herself on the arm. "Ouch…yup, I'm NOT dreaming."
"You can say so, Marcie…" the blonde man giggled to himself.
"Charles…can I say two things first?" she asked.
"Sure…what are they?" he questioned.
"I DO!" and with that she flung herself into his arms, kissing his face passionately as a record from The Sound of Music played.
(Charlie Brown)
Perhaps I had a wicked childhood
Perhaps I had a miserable youth
But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past
There must have been a moment of truth
For here you are, standing there, loving me
Whether or not you should
But somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good
Nothing comes from nothing
Nothing ever could
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good
"You already have, Charles, years ago…" Marcie replied with a giggle.
"Yeah…" he blushed.
(Marcie)
For here you are, standing there, loving me
Whether or not you should
(Charlie Brown)
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good
(Marcie and Charlie Brown)
Nothing comes from nothing
Nothing ever could
(Marcie)
So somewhere in our youth
(Charlie Brown)
Or childhood
(Marcie and Charlie Brown)
We must have done something...
Something good
A dog's howling caught their attention. He was grey and had black spots. "Ruffles, this is Marcie…my wife." Charlie announced, slipping the engagement ring on his fiancé's finger.
"Mrs. Brown…sounds like something from a dream…" she sighed happily again.
"Congratulations, Blockhead…" Lucy smiled a few months later.
"On what?" Charlie Brown asked.
"On not being a bachelor all your life." She wittily answered.
"Now…you make your mother proud today…" Patty smiled.
"I will, Sir-or is the proper term Patricia now?" Marcie questioned.
"Sir will do just fine…Mrs. Brown." The freckled woman simply replied.
"And Sir…just call me 'Marcie'…getting married won't ever change that."
"I think I'm gonna cry!" 'Rerun' announced.
"Then go for it." Sally comforted.
"Ooooh!" Stitch noticed in awe as he examined the wedding cake decorated in flowers and hearts.
"I like it too." Lilo admitted. "Now Charlie and Marcie are able to start their own Ohana."
"But…Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind." Stitch replied.
"We're NEVER gonna be left behind by ANYONE…even when I marry Linus, we'll all be an Ohana and no one will get left behind." The Hawaiian lady explained.
"Speaking of Linus, it's time for the vows to begin." Nani reminded her younger sister.
"Friends, family, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, dogs, birds and experiment 626; we have gathered here today for the wedding of Charles Monroe Noah Brown Junior and Marceline Rebecca Carlin Brown. These two weren't your stereotypical high school sweethearts though." Linus began.
"Charlie Brown here was always a wishy washy failure and Marceline Carlin here was always a shy introvert. Such a match made in Heaven was unforeseen back in the innocent days of our youth with name calling, jump rope and camp being our main interests; not drugs, alcohol and seeing if the drapes match the curtains…that last one applies to you and Sally, Lucas…" the people laughed as Lucas hid his face in embarrassment.
"It's not funny, guys!" the youngest Van Pelt brother denied.
"One day, Charlie Brown was alone at camp when his friend Patricia Reichardt-over there in the tux and freckles-introduced him to his future wife, Marceline; but we didn't learn that part for a long time. As the years went by, it was almost as if they've been friends since infanthood. They finished each others' sentences-and sometimes sandwiches, they shared sodas with two straws and knew the others' secrets…well almost all of them."
"Which one hasn't he told her?" one of the adults, Frieda, asked.
"SHE didn't tell HIM she was pregnant with their first chi-." Linus blurted out. "Sorry guys…cat's out of the bag…" he blushed.
"It's fine, Linus…people were bound to find out soon enough though." Marcie admitted. Charlie Brown though was pale as a ghost.
"Charlie Brown?" Schroeder asked in concern. "Are you alright, buddy?"
"I'M GONNA BE A DAD!" Charlie Brown realized after a few seconds of hushed whispers and blank stares.
"Let's just finish this up…Charles Brown; do you take Marceline Carlin to be your lawfully wedded wife? To be by her side in labor-I meant in sickness and in health? To be there for her when she's lonely and to love her till God takes her away?" Linus continued. As expected, a few people laughed at his (Linus') mistake in the vows.
"I do…" Charlie Brown smiled.
"And Marceline Carlin, do you take Charles Brown to be your lawfully wedded husband? To be by his side in sickness and in health? To be there for him when he's lonely and to love him till God takes him away?"
"I do…" Marcie replied.
"Then, by the power of God and the angels above us, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife." Linus ended, winking to Lucy.
"You may kiss the blockhead!" she announced with a smile.
"It's 'Kiss the bride' Lucy…" Schroeder sighed.
"Not in this case…look." The black haired lady pointed out.
The blonde haired man smiled as his lips touched hers, savoring the moment before slowly extracting them. "Welcome to the family, Mrs. Brown…" he whispered as a few people took pictures and videos.
"We knew she was your type, kiddo!" a man with faded blond hair cheered.
"Yeah, Dad…she always was…" Charlie Brown admitted before sighing.
"Charlie Brown, I hope you'll be very happy." Heather smiled.
"I know I will…till death do us part." He replied, going in for another kiss.
"Uh guys…who ate all the wedding cake?" a woman named Violet asked as a very stuffed Stitch patted his plump belly.
"I have one or two ideas…" Lilo joked as everyone cracked up.
"So there we were on the ballfield, the score was 107 to nothing and i was at the bat…when we lost 108-0, I thought that was my biggest failure and that I'd never do anything right. Fastforward a few years and I find this one coming over to ask three questions I never thought were important. 'Do you like me?' I now know the answer: I don't like her; I LOVE her." Charlie Brown explained at the reception.
"I have a story about these two." Sally smiled. "My big brother, the newlywed man with the blonde hair in case you're not childhood friends of ours, was always a so called failure in everything and was always the butt of all jokes. Therefore, when I first met Marcie, she was a dorky child and I never thought the girl in the red t-shirt with the glasses would be my sister-in-law. That was years and years ago so what am I now? Sister-in-law AND future aunt to be."
"Congrats again, you two." Frieda praised.
"On what?" Charlie asked.
"The elephant in the room…FATHER Brown."
"Father TO BE, Frieda..."
"Well…" Peppermint Patty began, standing up with a cup of champagne in her hand. "To Ol' Chuck and Marcie!"
"To Charlie and Marcie!" everyone else chimed in.
"Ohana!" Stitch called out, holding a plastic cup in his hand.
Almost a year later, Charlie Brown paced across the waiting room's floor anxiously before trying to get a cup of hot chocolate to calm his nerves down. Oddly enough, the machine was out of order. Not a surprise though, just unexpected as the machine was out of order around twenty-five years ago; maybe even longer. That brought up a funny moment on when they were in the waiting room after finding out Snoopy needed knee surgery.
"We could have a cup of hot chocolate, but the machine is out of order…" Marcie notified him.
"Hospital waiting rooms are designed this way…" Charlie Brown groaned to himself.
"They still are…" he told himself with a sigh. Those were the good ol' days indeed.
"Mr. Brown…you can come in now." A nurse told him after a few more minutes of pacing.
"I can?! Is it a boy or a girl?!" he asked eagerly.
"Come with me…" she insisted as she led him to the nursery window. "Do you see yours?"
His glance fell upon the baby in the bassinet that was wearing a yellow, knitted hat and wrapped in a yellow blanket. "That one." He smiled.
"And…" the nurse continued.
And? And what? Then it hit him as he hit the floor.
"Mr. Brown? Can you hear me? You're a father." The nurse called out.
"Ow…" Charlie winced a little, but looked up at the nurse. "Is it a boy or a girl?" he questioned.
"And it's a girl…she looks just like her father too, Mr. Brown." The nurse replied.
"A daughter?!" he realized.
"Yeah…she's a beautiful little thing too."
"I'll be…a baby daughter."
"Yeah, you go check in on your wife, and I'll bring the baby."
"Hi Sweetie…" Charlie smiled upon finding his wife.
"Hi Charles…did you see the baby yet?" she asked happily.
"Yes, Sweet Babboo. The nurse is bringing her right now."
"Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Brown, meet your new daughter." The nurse explained, walking in with a baby girl with a small tuff of blonde hair and blue eyes.
"She's adorable." Charlie praised.
"Did you think of names yet, Charles?" Marcie asked.
"Yes…out of Allie, Veronica and Scarlet; which is your favorite?"
"You choose."
"Allie it is then." He smiled as the nurse put the baby in his arms.
"She looks like an Allie, Charles." His wife noticed.
"She sure does." He smiled proudly. "Welcome to the world, Allie Brown."
"You two are a nice couple…congratulations on your child." The nurse praised as she walked out of the room.
"You know, I thought we were having twins." Charlie giggled.
"Really?" Marcie questioned. "Now where'd you get a thought like that from?"
"I just had a thought…" he blushed.
"Yeah." She admitted. "We WERE, but the other baby was a stillborn."
"At least I have you and Allie, my Ohana…" he replied with a kiss on her cheek.
"Yeah, Charles…" she smiled.
"I love you." He simply said, holding her left hand tightly.
"Same here, Charles…" she replied.
"Always had…" he added honestly.
"Charlie Brown, you're blushing again…what happened?" Linus asked.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Charlie responded.
"Yeah, she's nice…" his best friend sighed.
"I think I love her." The round headed kid blushed.
"You've liked the Little Red Haired Gi-"
"Not her, Linus! I was talking about Marcie…be honest, what do you like about her?"
"Her eyes?"
"Be serious…"
"Well…being honest, she's cute."
"Yeah…how do I tell her my feelings about her?"
"Write a song or a poem or something…I'll go wait for the Great Pumpkin…"
"Talk about best friend…she IS cute though…"
"It's hard to believe how much time flew by…" Charlie Brown smiled to himself. His daughter had fallen asleep in his arm and he held his wife's hand tightly. "I love you, Sweet Babboo…" he added before letting go of her hand.
"Why do you call her a Sweet Babboo?" the nurse noticed, stepping inside for a moment.
"It's a family thing…" he admitted, looking at his wife happily.
"You've got a wonderful wife, Mr. Brown and a wonderful daughter."
"Well, Marcie brings a lot of joy in my life, so will Allie."
"Great to hear." The nurse praised.
"I'm really lucky I found Marcie." he added.
"So am I, Charlie Brown." the nurse agreed.
Charlie Brown gave a happy smile, kissing his wife on the cheek again. They were no longer just a childhood couple or high school sweethearts; they were a husband and wife, father and mother, an Ohana.
The years flew by faster than they arrived, and for Charlie Brown and Marcie, it were the happiest years of their life. Little Allie brought a lot of joy in their lives and she sure took after her dad in the sports and kites field while she had her mom's bad eyesight and that strand of hair that sticks out at the back. Charlie Brown smiled as he held Allie in his arms one warm Saturday morning.
"Daddy?" she asked. "When'd you meet Mommy?"
"Years and years ago, Al." he replied with a smile as his wife looked over at them.
"Charles...I remembered something from our youths..." Marcie sighed happily.
"What is it? My kite flying failures? My lousy managing skills or how I always fell for the Little Red Haired Girl?"
"Neither...I was thinking of when we were kids; young, dumb and in love of course. Remember when we used to play baseball together?"
"Yeah...I was the worst manager in history."
"But no matter how many games us Pelicans won, winning your heart was the biggest victory I've ever accomplished."
"Now that's poetic..." he giggled, kissing her on the cheek.
"I know, Charles...you've always been a guy I admired: humble, shy, friendly, determined, a good competitor, a real gentleman and a lovable boy." Marcie replied.
"Yeah, I'm just happy we're together...after all those years, I never thought it would come to this."
"No one did...not even my parents thought I'd marry-and I quote-'A flawed human being'."
"Well they were wrong...and you never ceased to amaze me..."
"Smile, guys." Lilo explained.
"Okay." Charlie smiled, wrapping his right arm against Marcie and holding Allie in his left hand. Ruffles sat in the middle with a small bird on his nose.
That's All, Folks.